Creamy Mushroom Alfredo

I don’t know about you, but creamy + any type of pasta is an absolute indulgence on a frigid cold night. The temperatures have been climbing down the ladder lately, and it leaves me wanting to curl up in a pile of blankets… and do nothing. Unfortunately, it’s back to reality!

The past two days have been moving in slow motion so the last thing I wanted to do was slave away in the kitchen. Luckily, this Creamy Mushroom Alfredo comes together pretty quickly; and effortlessly, I might add.

It just so happens I had a ton of ingredients in the fridge that seemed to mesh nicely together – this dish has the perfect balance of creaminess to it without being too rich.

Don’t you love when that happens?

I intended on using heavy cream in my Alfredo sauce but had to nix that really quick. I’m glad I did though – makes me feel a little less guilty having seconds… hehe.

HERE IS WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

12 ounces rigatoni

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 8-ounce package of sliced mushrooms

1 small onion, sliced

1 small crown of broccoli

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp whole wheat flour

1.5 cups unsweetened original almond milk

4 ounce 1/3 fat cream cheese

3/4 cup shredded Italian five cheese blend

3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Himalayan sea salt

Black ground pepper

In a large sauce pan, heat oil on high heat and cook onions until brown and caramelized – about 10 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to avoid burning. Reduce heat to medium-high and add in mushrooms, broccoli and garlic. Cook for another 10 minutes allowing the mushrooms to sweat – stir occasionally.

In the meantime, heat a pot of boiling water and cook the rigatoni until al dente – about 13 minutes. Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of the cooked pasta water… this will be used to loosen the sauce.

To the veggies, add flour. Stir to coat. Slowly add in almond milk and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. Add cream cheese and shredded cheese and stir until melted. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Add rigatoni to the Alfredo sauce and toss to coat. Slowly add in the cooking water until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Serve immediately. I always like to add a dash more of himalayan salt upon dishing up… adds a little something extra!